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It’s in the mind’s of the team’s fans. They are all-a-Twitter. This is a team capable of snapping a playoff winless streak dating back 23 seasons — a time so long ago, it was still possible to get a gallon of gas for less than a buck, and quarterback Andy Dalton’s only concern in life was where he last put his G.I. Joe.

Marvin Lewis is heading into his 11th season as head coach and may finally have a team capable of snapping his personal 0-4 playoff run.

But before all that they first have to beat the Bears on Sunday. And Pittsburgh next week. And Dalton will have to prove he can be a bit like that G.I. Joe toy. Bullet-proof. A teflon-man.

After spending more than $180 million to keep last season’s 10-6 team intact, the Bengals brought in ex-Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison to join a unit that ranked among the top seven in total defence each of the last two seasons. Cincinnati allowed 20 or fewer points in the final nine games of 2012, including a 19-13 playoff loss at Houston.

The defence should be formidable. But it is Dalton and the offence that must carry this team where it has rarely gone before — past the first round of the playoffs.

Anything else will be a disappointment. Anything less could cost Lewis, who ranks behind only Bill Belichick in coaching tenure, his job. Anything less and Dalton is likely to go from being a quarterback with potential to just another footnote in the media guide small print.

This is a team who’s talent is exceeded only by its lofty expectations. “One of the hardest things to overcome is expectations,” cornerback Terence Newman said. “I think it’s easy when you’re the underdog because you have to work, people are discrediting you.

“Once you get so much expectation and people pat you on the back, some people start to believe it. It’s just the worst thing possible.”

Jermaine Gresham knows all about falling short of expectations. The Bengals’ tight end dropped three passes in last season’s playoff loss. He has dealt with the pain of failure for eight months. His personal Redemption Run begins Sunday. “It is something that I will get better from. It was a rough game and it cost my team a chance to win the game. I let a lot of people down, the organization, fans, the people that still doubt me I gave them a reason to keep doubting me. It was tough. I’ve got no one to blame but myself.”

For five straight seasons, the offence has ranked 20th or lower, and the Dalton Gang’s short-comings were laid bare in that playoff loss to Houston.

“Any time you play a game and you fail on offence, questions need to be answered,” offensive coordinator Jay Gruden told reporters recently. “We failed in that game miserably and it needs to be addressed.”

Over the final six games in 2012, including the playoffs, the Bengals averaged just 263 yards per game after they had averaged nearly 100 yards more over the previous 11 (358.5). After going 13 of 17 in scoring touchdowns in the red zone in a four-game stretch after the bye week, they were 7 of 18 the rest of the way.

Dalton has been criticized for holding onto the ball too long. The offensive line needs to be more consistent.

This year there has been more stability on that front line with Kevin Zeitler and Clint Boling. So far, reviews are promising. But it won’t help that left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who hasn’t missed a game since 2008, had to sit out practice for a third day Friday with an injured knee.

The running game averaged a league-high 175.8 yards per game in the preseason. BenJarvus Green-Ellis last season rushed for a career-high 1,094 yards.

And Dalton has more weapons. The team added tight end Tyler Eifert and North Carolina speed merchant Giovani Bernard. Mohamed Sanu is healthy.

As far as the talent on this team, it’s unparalleled,” Newman said. “You can look at different teams and say, ‘Well they’ve got this, they’ve got this.’ We have just as good as anybody else.” After the Bears, the Bengals schedule kicks off with the Steelers, then Green Bay (Sept. 22) and New England (Oct. 6), so they won’t have to wait long for a chance to prove it.

TIM BITS

It’s going to be Tim Tebow’s way. Or, no way.

Last season the controversial quarterback said he didn’t care how he got on the field; that he just wanted to play football.

Well, hold that thought.

Tebow has reportedly turned down an offer from another NFL team, after being released by the Patriots. The reason Tebow declined is because the club wanted him to change positions. Tebow said he wants to continue a “relentless pursuit” of his dream to become an NFL quarterback.

There are teams who believe he could be an effective ball-carrier or useful as a blocker or receiver. USA Rugby has also inquired if he’d be interested in switching games. He’s not.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated also reported that Tebow declined an offer from an undisclosed CFL club. Tebow’s rights are owned by the Alouettes.

Montreal has maintained for several weeks that it is sticking with rookie Tanner Marsh, who became the No. 1 quarterback when Anthony Calvillo was sidelined with a concussion that will keep him out until at least the playoffs.

The SI report would indicate that the Als, or some other team in the CFL is interested, despite all the official denials.

THE YUK FACTOR

The Dallas Cowboys make Justin Pugh puke.

Nothing personal, though. It’s an anxiety thing.

Pugh will make his NFL debut Sunday night for the Giants. He will carry some weighty responsibility protecting Eli Manning from his right tackle position. “I’m a dry-heave guy,” he said, adding that the nausea disappears when games start. Good thing, or it could get real messy in the trenches.

A BLAINE NUISANCE

Jags quarterback Blaine Gabbert is questionable for Sunday’s game against K.C.

Gabbert is recovering from a right thumb injury but he took a lot of snaps at practice Friday. Coach Gus Bradley said a decision won’t come until Sunday.

“We’re encouraged with what we saw from Blaine,” Bradley told reporters, “He took steps in the right direction.”

EXTRA POINTS

Defensive tackle Marvin Austin, a disappointment as a second-round pick with the Giants, is working out with the Seahawks after being cut by NY ... Ravens’ punt returner Jacoby Jones crushed by his own teammate Brynden Trawick on Thursday, will have an MRI on his right knee ... The revolving door on the Patriots’s roster Friday welcomed back fullback James Develin, who had been released Monday ... Colts linebacker Pat Angerer may not play against the Raiders, after suffering a slow-developing concussion on the first play of the final preseason game. “I kind of thought it would go away. It didn’t,” Angerer said. “The hard part is you don’t know what a concussion, is supposed to feel like.” ... Browns’ first-round pick Barkevious Mingo will miss Sunday’s opener, still recovering from a bruised lung.

It’s in the mind’s of the team’s fans. They are all-a-Twitter. This is a team capable of snapping a playoff winless streak dating back 23 seasons — a time so long ago, it was still possible to get a gallon of gas for less than a buck, and quarterback Andy Dalton’s only concern in life was where he last put his G.I. Joe.

Marvin Lewis is heading into his 11th season as head coach and may finally have a team capable of snapping his personal 0-4 playoff run.

But before all that they first have to beat the Bears on Sunday. And Pittsburgh next week. And Dalton will have to prove he can be a bit like that G.I. Joe toy. Bullet-proof. A teflon-man.